


Hearing feels like drowning

by AliaMael



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Drabble, Gen, but also as totally innocent, could be read as pre-slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-05-05 09:18:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5369963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliaMael/pseuds/AliaMael
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some days Shibuya is overwhelming.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hearing feels like drowning

**Author's Note:**

> Written for http://retwewy.tumblr.com/ prompt "Shibuya Noise".

This day shouldn’t be different. Nothing’s out of the ordinary; all around you Shibuya vibrates with life. Deep down you _know_ that nothing’s really different but you can’t help the feeling. You’re overwhelmed. You feel almost sick.

You tried to get your breathing back by taking a little bit of height. Here, on top of 104, it’s usually easier to let the many noises of the city buzz under you while you sit back and rest, but today they don’t leave you alone. They’re ringing on your ears, crawling on your skin, prickling your fingers. You could almost choke on noises.

You realise that Sanae is talking to you only when he reaches out to put a friendly hand on your shoulder. You have no idea what he said. He looks a bit worried.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

Your own voice almost makes you cringe. It feels foreign. Too loud. Too discordant. Sanae probably can’t hear the difference.

“I was asking if you were alright, Josh, but obviously you aren’t. What’s wrong?”

You don’t know where to begin. How to explain that today the horns of the cars, the chatting of the people, the music, the steps, the slamming of the doors, the beeping of all the electronics, all the sounds that are parts of Shibuya’s everyday life don’t flow together anymore but instead crash, scrape, in an enormous and nauseous pile of cacophony. You want to make it all stop. Your head hurts. It’s been hours.

You’re attuned with Shibuya. Most of the time that means that your can feel its melody deep in your bones, hear when something fall out of step with the Music and right it. Some days it’s even relaxing to listen to Shibuya’s lively beat. But then there are these days when each noise tries to get your attention. The normal sounds, but also the rhythms of Souls, all of them clearly distinct for you, and the Noises, the metaphorical ones, sending around waves of discordant emotions that translate as loud bangings to you.

And you would like to hear a symphony in this. But these days Shibuya isn’t home to an orchestra but to an obnoxious band of needy children wanting all the attention for themselves. You can’t give it to each one. You’re exhausted.

“Josh?”

You don’t answer. You feel that by opening your mouth for talking you’d let all your pain expend from your skull to surround and choke you. And, of course, you wouldn’t know what to answer Sanae.

He slowly puts a hand on your forehead and you hear a flicker of another music. In your state it takes you one or two seconds to understand that it’s Sanae’s Music. It feels refreshing, soothing. It’s a gentle melody that sounds like home. You want it to erase all the noise.

“What are you…” Sanae startles when you catch both of his hands to place them on your ears.

It’s better. Sanae’s Music is covering most of the noise, like this. You slowly get a bit of focus back. You want Sanae closer so that his Music is all you can hear, but you don’t know how to ask. Fortunately he seems to get the hint for he closes the distance between you, puts his arms around your shoulders and blankets you in his wings.

It’s bliss. All the noise has disappeared, chased away by Sanae’s Music. Your headache is quickly receding. You don’t even realise you’re heavily leaning on Sanae until he gently laughs. You know he’s not actually making fun of you. There is kindness in this laugh, as well as a welcoming warmth.

Your last thought before falling asleep is _“Why didn’t I understand this before?”_.


End file.
